March 6, 2020

Partnering with the International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) and Port Mayaca Polo Club in Southern Florida for the second year in a row, the United States Polo Association® (USPA) will host the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship™ (18- to 22-goals), March 12-21. Eight teams, including the 2019 champions, Hawaii Polo Life, comprised of women players from across the nation and around the world will be taking the field to compete in the most prestigious women’s tournament in the country. The U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship™ will benefit Susan G. Komen® Florida, the leading breast cancer foundation.

“The U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship™ represents the future of women’s polo as the number of women competing at the 18- to 22-goal level continues to climb,” said Robert Puetz, CEO of the USPA. “Bringing together the best American and international players, the tournament is both a showcase and a celebration of the achievements in women’s polo on a global scale. Since relocating to South Florida during the GAUNTLET OF POLO®, the apex of high-goal competition, the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship™ has attracted a record eight teams for the second consecutive year.”

The most celebrated cup in women’s polo in the United States, the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship™ has a profound history dating back to the 1930s in California. The first women’s U.S. Open tournament was presented by the United States Women’s Polo Association (U.S.W.P.A.) in 1937 at the Golden Gate Field in San Francisco, California. On the centennial anniversary of the USPA in 1990, a U.S. Women’s Open was officially sanctioned and held at Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. It was officially recognized as a national tournament in 2011 and has since become America’s largest annual women’s polo event.

Winning the 2019 championship in their first year, Hawaii Polo Life will be returning for the chance to defend the trophy, competing with two members of the original championship team.

BTA/The Villages and San Saba (this year co-sponsored by Polo Gear) will also be returning for the high-profile women’s event. The remaining five teams (Cowdray Vikings, Dundas, Iconica, Mint Echo Car Wash, Rocking P) will be competing for the first time for an opportunity to capture the title.

Arguably one of the best women’s players in the world, British 10-goaler Hazel Jackson will be competing, representing Rocking P. An international event, the tournament rosters boast players from four countries including the United States, Argentina, England and Kenya. One all-American team, BTA/The Villages, will be gracing this year’s competition. The USPA is also happy to announce that the tournament will serve as a Women’s Championship Tournament (WCT) Qualifier, The Sunny Hale Legacy.

Following the Draw Party on Thursday, March 5, at the 7^th Chukker Restaurant & Lounge at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida, play will begin March 12 at Port Mayaca Polo Club in Okeechobee, Florida. Co-sponsored by the official apparel brand of the USPA, U.S. Polo Assn., the official draw determines the playing order for the tournament. Additionally, U.S. Polo Assn. will giveaway custom designed Susan G. Komen® Florida t-shirts during the tournament final’s halftime divot stomp. The final will be hosted on Saturday, March 21, at the International Polo Club Palm Beach on the U.S. Polo Assn. Field with gates opening at 11:00am EDT and the match beginning at 1:00pm EDT.

Coverage of the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship™ matches will be livestreamed on Global Polo TV. Please register for free access on GlobalPolo.com. For more information on the tournament please visit uspolo.org. Spectators are encouraged to attend the preliminary matches at Port Mayaca Polo Club and the Championship Final at International Polo Club Palm Beach on U.S. Polo Assn. Field 1. General admission is free for all events. To purchase tickets for brunch, tailgate or box seats for the final, which will feature a pink tailgating competition, please click here.

About the United States Polo Association® 

The United States Polo Association (USPA) was organized and exists for the purposes of promoting the game of polo, coordinating the activities of its Member Clubs and Registered Players, arranging and supervising polo tournaments, competitions and games, and providing rules, handicaps, and conditions for those tournaments, competitions, and games including the safety and welfare of participants and mounts. Founded in 1890, the United States Polo Association is the national governing body for the sport of polo. USPA is currently comprised of almost 300 member clubs with thousands of individual members, and oversees 40 national tournaments. For more information, please visit uspolo.org.

About U.S. Polo Assn.

U.S. Polo Assn. is the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), the nonprofit governing body for the sport of polo in the United States founded in 1890, making it one of the oldest sports governing bodies. With a global footprint of $1.7B and worldwide distribution through 1,100 U.S. Polo Assn. retail stores, department stores, independent retailers and e-commerce, U.S. Polo Assn. offers apparel for men, women and children, as well as accessories, footwear, travel and home goods in 180 countries worldwide. Recently ranked the 4th largest sports licensor and 36^th overall in License Global magazine’s 2019 list of “Top 150 Global Licensors”, U.S. Polo Assn. now takes its place alongside such iconic sports brands as Major League Baseball, National Football League and National Basketball Association.

About the International Polo Club Palm Beach

The International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) is the premier polo destination in the world, hosting the largest field of high-goal teams and the most prestigious polo tournaments in the United States. Polo enthusiasts descend upon Wellington, Florida, each winter season to enjoy their love of the sport at the most prominent polo facility in the country. The 2020 Palm Beach Polo Season opens Sunday, December 29, 2019 and concludes 17 weeks later with the U.S. Open Polo Championship® Final on Sunday, April 19, 2020. Polo matches are open to the public, with a wide range of hospitality and guest seating that includes elegant grandstand viewing, field tailgating, field-side champagne brunch at The Pavilion, and exclusive sponsor boxes. See more at www.internationalpoloclub.com.

About Port Mayaca Polo Club
Situated in South Florida, surrounded by vast sugar cane fields and the popular fishing body of Lake Okeechobee, Port Mayaca Polo Club has steadily become a destination for winter polo. Located on more than 600 sprawling acres, the club has eight regulation fields, club barns with 220 stalls, two exercise tracks, a stick-and-ball field, a clubhouse and several acres of pastures for turnout and trail riding. Quality polo is at the forefront of the club’s objectives and a tight-knit sense of community supports it.

www.uspolo.org

© Thomas Wirth